Tottenham 1-0 Portsmouth: Kane moves one shy of Greaves' record to put Spurs in FA Cup fourth round
Peter Thompson
January 7, 2023 22:23 MYT
January 7, 2023 22:23 MYT
Harry Kane moved just one goal away from becoming Tottenham's joint all-time leading goalscorer to secure a 1-0 FA Cup third-round win over Portsmouth.
Kane is only a solitary goal behind the great Jimmy Greaves' staggering haul of 266 for Spurs after opening the scoring with a sublime second-half finish.
The England captain's 17th goal of the season at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday was enough for the Premier League club to seal their place in the fourth round.
Antonio Conte's men had failed to register a shot on target in a poor first-half display, but were much improved following the interval against a side without a win in nine League One games – resulting in boss Danny Cowley's sacking this week.
265 and counting... pic.twitter.com/IE0hzQGhgL — Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 7, 2023
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Pompey showed no signs over being overawed in a positive start, Reeco Hackett-Fairchild forcing a save from Fraser Forster with an early left-foot volley.
Spurs were short of ideas as they were unable to break down their well-drilled opponents, Kane having a close-range effort blocked by Denver Hume before Son Heung-min fired wide late in a drab first half.
Tottenham showed more urgency early in the second half and Emerson Royal rose to head Son's cross against the post before Kane got the breakthrough with a classy finish.
The prolific striker exchanged passes with Ryan Sessegnon before unleashing a sumptuous strike into the bottom-right corner from the edge of the penalty area five minutes after the break.
Oliver Skipp should have doubled the advantage when he blazed wildly over the crossbar from inside the box, but Kane's goal was enough for Spurs to advance.